Burning Ember
by ChattyCat
Summary: She doesn't know who she is, but the "Guardians" seem to. As the new Guardian of freedom, Ember can't seem to conform to the guidelines of her teammates. Can Jack convince her to stay? Why is Pitch so interested?
1. Chapter 1

I'm alone. I'm scared. I feel sick. My head is burning, like a fever of 102º. I sit up in a pile of ashes, like a phoenix reborn. Maybe that's what I am. I touch my own skin, as if I never have before. This world is foreign to me. This world is too quiet. Empty. The skies are unnaturally cloudy, like gray dust. I cough, and the ash swirls around me in a frenzy. I lean up, examining my surroundings. I'm resting in what appears to be the remnants of a home, the charred wooden skeleton of a house. Everything around here is a skeleton. Smoke rises from the neighboring buildings, or at least what's left of them. Hair falls in front of my eyes. Strawberry blond. It's long, longer than I would like, draped around me and trailing on the ground. I stand shakily, it feels like I've never walked. I hold out my hands for balance and steady myself. I'm wearing singed burlap rags that reach my knees, nothing distinguishing. It looks like I'm wearing a potato sack. I'm fairly tanned, chocolate freckles sparsely dotting my arms and what I can see of my legs. I rotate my hand inquisitively, as if it is not my own. I trace my fingers over my facial features. Small nose, almond eyes, sharp cheekbones. It's evening, but the moon, milky and glowing, sits quietly in the flicking rays of the sun. Something lies buried in the remains, luminescent. I stumble through the remains. I dig through the soft ash and uncover a glowing coal; probably leftover from the fire. Surprisingly, it's pleasantly warm. I blow on it, to enhance the flames even more.

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you." I whip around. The voice is comforting, but nowhere to be found. Ubiquitous.

"And-" My voice cracks, dry from disuse, "And why would that be?" I manage to choke out. My voice… scratchier than I expected. Hopefully from dehydration… or something like that.

"It's your heart. It goes out, you go out, Ember Hallow."

Ember? I'm not Ember.

"What happened to me!?" I call out wildly, turning, searching for the origin of the voice. Wait… out of the corner of my eye, I see lights. Fire. Where did it come from? There's nothing left to burn. There's no source… except for me. I breath unbelievingly, grinning. I am… flaming. I spin in circles like a dog and its tail, trying to catch a glimpse of the blaze that trails behind me. It's source is my spine, oddly. I look like a dragon. Straining myself, I reach my backbone to feel- nothing. I should be scalded by now. I relax my arms and realize; the fire has clung to my hand. I'm fascinated and surprised and-and terrified. I'm literally playing with fire. I concentrate, and the flames burst, brighter and brighter. My eyes widen with awareness. The town.

I think I burned it down.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, sorry I didn't leave any messages last time. I kinda forgot. Anyway, I thought I should make a FanFiction for this section considering I know one of the people who made it. Let's just say he's in one of the very top positions. ;) Anyway, in this chapter we leave Ember to play with fire and go to the point of view of Jack Frost. I don't really have any plans for this story, so just go with the flow. :)**

* * *

"Never seen her in my life." I state plainly, my arms crossed in agitation. The Man in the Moon, years after my arrival and induction into the Guardians, summoned the Moon Crystal to reveal our newest member, though no one seems to recognize her. She's very pretty, with freckles across her nose and _seriously _long hair. Her signature color is a vibrant orange and she's shown wearing a flowing feathered dress. She has a light little smile playing on her plump lips. I wonder what her center is.

"Crikey, at the rate we're rackin' up membahs each kid's gonna get its _own_ Gahdian." Bunnymund remarks, ears pinned back anxiously.

I snort. "It's been like– _nine _years since I joined, right?"

"Yeah, and we _usually_ only getta new one every couple hundred yeahs." Bunny informs me, like I should know this.

"I don't know who she is. Very new, yes?" North asks, voice thick with his accent.

Sandy, silent as usual, waves his arms as sand hieroglyphs form above his head. Question mark, moon, fire, flip flip flip, too fast to tell.

"Right you awe, Sandy. What is Manny thinkin'?" Bunny agrees in disbelief. I can't believe it myself. What danger is so overwhelming that the Big _Five_ can't handle it? Pitch, even if he is back, can't be strong enough to pose any sort of threat.

"So how do we find her?" I ask, leaning against my staff boredly.

"I-I could send my fairies out o-on a mass search!" Toothiana offers excitedly, stuttering because she speaks so fast. She's always so peppy. If I were her, I'd be nervous about another girl joining our… squad.

With a new member, I was expecting Cupid or a leprechaun or or or Mother Goose, but Jane Doe here is a nobody. Granted, an attractive nobody, but a nobody nonetheless.

"Ace, Toothy. How soon'll they be back?" Bunny asks.

"Oh, only hours, Bunny. My girls are _very _efficient." Tooth assures, nodding vigorously.

"With teeth, maybe. There are like seven billion people in the world and only a fourth of them still have teeth to lose." I correct. Okay, that one was kind of mean. Tooth looks a little bashed, and looks at the ground embarrassedly.

"I'll, um, just… get right on, uh… that." She forces out, barely audible, and floats away, deflated.

Uh oh.

* * *

**Jack is a little frazzled, at the moment. Since I forgot to say it last time: Reviewreviewreviewreviewreview! Pretty please. If you review, then we get to see what happens with Emmy! Just made up that nickname on the spot. Eh, it's so-so. :)**

**~ChattyCat**

**P.S. I own this story and Ember, but DreamWorks owns all the big stuff.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys. : / so no reviews last time? Not much motivation to continue. For you people who favorite or follow the story, please! Review!**

**Enjoy Ember's ghost town adventure.**

* * *

So apparently, although I cannot be burned, my clothes can. I managed to smother the flames, but not before my potato sack burned to ash. I stand stark naked in the middle of a ghost town. Not a soul in sight, nor flora nor fauna, nor anything that says that anyone has lived here for the last fifteen years. A few homes managed to escape the wrath of the inferno, yet they still stand empty. I crack open the chipped front door of a particularly untouched house. It's a two-story house, standing about twenty feet tall. It's constructed of redwood but poorly painted brown. The wood is splintering, and as I am barefoot, I am forced to tip-toe.

"Hello?" My voice is still scratchy, and I'm parched. No response to my call. The floors moan with the little weight I carry. I enter a sitting room, with two red velvet couches and a mahogany coffee table, with a massive crystal chandelier pulling the room together. I pass through and ascend the stairway around the corner. Everything here is so immaculately clean, for being abandoned. These people were wealthy, and regal. A red egyptian carpet covers the steps. It's nice on my feet.

Upon investigating the rest of the house, the decorating scheme is relatively consistent, except for one of the children's rooms. The girl was, for lack of a better word, punk. Posters of bands I've never heard of, pictures of her in her happier days with friends. She's got animated blue hair and pale skin. A massive dresser sits on the right wall, with a mirror set on top. I approach, and view my face, like I've never seen it before. It doesn't… fit me. Something's off, though I can't pinpoint what. The girl in the picture… looks like me. More like me- than I look like me. But it's not me. I open the closet, searching for something to adorn. I can't stay bare forever. Every pair of jeans is ripped. Is this what she intended? It seems odd to purchase damaged clothing. I pull out a faded pair that only has one tear, and grab a white tank top from the bottom drawer from the dresser, along with a pair of white lace panties. My breasts are small, I can go without a brassiere. I am a human campfire, after all. Heh.

I wish I could do something about this hair. It reaches the tops of my legs, and I feel like if I turn my head it'll whip around and strike me in the face. I don't know how to… uh… I can't remember the term. It's when three bunches of hair are… knotted… oh well. I don't understand how one would execute such a task anyway.

Something skitters past the smudged window, I can't imagine what in this dead town. Perhaps a rat. It hurries by a second time; bright, blue and green. A radioactive rat, maybe. I rush to the window, and attempt to pry it open. It's… nailed shut.

And then I am thrown into a sack.

* * *

**North really likes the whole sack idea, huh? Ember doesn't know she's being kidnapped by yetis. Please guys, review!**

**ChattyCat**

**P.S. I own this story and Ember, but DreamWorks owns all the big stuff.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys, been a while. So this is Ch. 4 after a long wait! ^_^ Heh I think I'll update more often from now on.**

* * *

I think being thrown into a sack and pulled through a magic portal is kind of a Guardian's tradition, at least from what I've seen. Maybe North just enjoys seeing the reactions of the people he kidnaps. Now seeing it from a different perspective, it is pretty entertaining.

It only took about an hour for one of Tooth's fairies to locate our new addition. And Tooth is still pretty upset, so I was not the first to hear.

I walk into the Globe Room and feel like a stranger; they've started the introduction without me. Well, not really. She's still in the bag, but clearly I'm not necessary for the situation. I'm only necessary when the baddies are too bad for the original four. I'm on the reserve list. I'm the crystal wine glasses that only get dusted off on special occasions.

"Thanks for the heads up, amigos." I growl under my breath, arms rigid at my sides, and drag myself into the room. Jane Doe crawls out of the bag, and suddenly she has an identity. Fiery red hair, pine green eyes, and _freckles. _She crawls out on her palms with her intense hair in her wide eyes, nervous and unknowing of what is to come.

North doesn't speak for a little bit, letting Ginger adjust to everything. She stays on her knees, halfway in the bag and halfway not, like she's deciding whether or not it's worth it to stand at our level. Apparently not. The others just sort of stand awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Bunny shifts feet apprehensively, and looks around the room for support. He holds my stare for a little bit, confused. I shrug. He hops forward and nudges her with a foot. Bunny and I were standing behind her, and from the way she skids on the floor and careening into one of the yeti's legs tells me that she didn't notice us. She stays leaning against his fur, hugging her knees. The yeti looks even more terrified at her proximity, as her hair has begun to flicker with flames. Her mouth opens, but nothing comes out. She swallows and tries again.

"Wh-what's going on here..?" She squeaks.

Tooth, elated that someone finally broke the silence, flutters in and leans her head in close.

"Hi! What's your name?" Tooth squeals, a little too excited. Ginger recoils. She shakes her head in bewilderment.

"I- don't know." She stares at the floor, avoiding eye contact.

"You don't know?" Tooth repeats in mock shock, as if speaking to a toddler. "Well! What should we call you then?" _Ginger._

_"Um…_ someone called m-me… Ember."

* * *

_**Tada. **_**I like to keep these chapters short so I can get them out more frequently... and we can all see how well that worked. Please review! :) And thanks to all others who reviewed the last chapters. ^_^**

**~ChattyCat**

**P.S. I own Ember and this story, but not Rise of the Guardians.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everybody, it's been a while since I've updated, but here's chapter five! **

* * *

I've been set on the floor, bag included, and a little light peeks through the opening. They've untied the twine. I can't tell if this is a mistake or I'm actually being released, but whoever _they _are, they haven't egressed yet so I know that if I take this chance for escape I will be met by one of two scenarios, either way, the sack seems much more comfortable. How long can I stay in here before they pull me out? I'll wait a little bit longer; maybe they'll get the idea.

I wait for about thirty seconds. My impatience gets the better of me. I scrabble out on my hands and knees, tentative and wary of the eyes studying me. I stare at the ground, afraid to gaze up. Red strands fall in front of my eyes, drawing on the floor slightly. I breathe in sharply, preparing for the oncoming barrage of nerves that are building up behind my eyes. I lift my sights from the floor, and they settle onto a monster of a man, not in a fearful way, but in size. He's adorned in a bright red coat, with a black fur lining and black boots to match. He has a snowy white beard wrapped around his chin, and it blends into a furry black hat. A light smile is barely visible under the layers, and his blue eyes crinkle. Floating next to him is a young woman, or some sort of– bird. A brightly colored bird-woman drifts three yards before me. I suppose it's isn't as far-fetched as a girl engulfed in flames, but it's still quite alarming. She's pretty, in a natural sort of way, with glittering wings flitting behind her. She looks a little too excited for my taste, and my eyebrows knot in apprehension. They don't say anything, just staring. I stand absolutely still. In absolute silence. I think I might be shaking, but maybe it's just a particularly aggressive heartbeat.

It jumps about fifty beats forward as someone nudges and I involuntarily throw myself across the floor. I land against something soft and fluffy, I don't have the courage to lift my hear and face whatever monstrosity I'm sitting on. The person who kicked me is not a person at all. It's a massive rabbit. A massive, seven feet tall gray rabbit standing on his hind legs with an alarmed look on his little bunny face. He's got some sort of wooden _V _shaped items on his back. Next to him is a boy, looking about my age, (however old I may be) with thick white hair and pale skin, leaning on what looks to be a branch of a tree. He isn't wearing any shoes. Hiding behind them both is a little orange man, wearing a robe that seems to blend with his rough skin.

This is by far the strangest group of people I could possibly conjure in my mind. I think I've caught on fire again, my head flushes with the same warmth it did the first time. I swallow the bile that has risen in my throat.

"What's going on here?" I ask fiercely, my narrow eyes moving to each person. The bird-woman flies closer to me brings her face in so close I can smell her minty breath.

"Hi! What's your name?" She asks me.

"I dunno." I mumble. I clench my hand around something warm. I part my fingers slightly; the coal. I've been holding it this whole time, without even realizing it. The core is still a deep red, but it's fading slightly. I loosen my hold to give it some hair and revert my stare back to the feathered woman, whose smile has widened.

"You don't know?" She tilts her head partially to the left. "What should we call you then?"

"…Someone called me Ember."

* * *

**So these chapters will just be flip flopping of the points of view of Jack and Ember, and when they're together it'll just be they're thoughts on the same situation.**

**~ChattyCat**

**P.S. I own this story, but not Rise of the Guardians.**


End file.
